Obama told Putin to 'cut it out' in regard to US election cyber attacks

President Barack Obama has revealed he confronted Vladimir Putin in person over allegations of Russian hacking when they met ahead of the US election, telling him to "cut it out", as the FBI backs the CIA's conclusion the nation did intervene to help Donald Trump win.

After being alerted over the summer to Russian cyber attacks on the Democratic Party, Mr Obama told a year-end news conference his chief concern was to ensure the hacking did not escalate and hamper the vote counting last month.

"In early September when I saw President Putin in China, I felt that the most effective way to ensure that that didn't happen was to talk to him directly and tell him to cut it out and there were going to be serious consequences if he didn't," Mr Obama said.

"And in fact we did not see further tampering of the election process," he added.

Just five weeks before he leaves the White House, the outgoing president has vowed to retaliate against Moscow over the cyber-meddling, which US intelligence says was designed to help Republican Mr Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, a Putin critic.

"Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us because we can do stuff to you," the US president warned.

The CIA and FBI have both concluded that Russia intervened in the election, in the aim of helping Mr Trump win, The Washington Post reports.

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Amid a partisan political debate that the two key US agencies were split over Russian intentions, the Post said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached the same conclusion as the Central Intelligence Agency - that Moscow hoped to damage the White House prospects of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Also in accord was Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

The Post said that was made clear in a message CIA Director John Brennan had sent to the US spy agency's staff.

"Earlier this week, I met separately with FBI (Director) James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election," Mr Brennan said in a message to the agency's workforce, the Post reported, citing US officials who saw the message.

"The three of us also agree that our organizations, along with others, need to focus on completing the thorough review of this issue that has been directed by President Barack Obama and which is being led by the DNI."

In an address to donors at a Thursday night gathering in New York City, Ms Clinton cited a "personal beef" with Putin as a possible reason for the country to meddle in the race.

Echoing concerns raised by the White House, Ms Clinton suggested Mr Putin was personally involved an effort to hack the Democratic National committee and top campaign aide John Podesta.

"Vladimir Putin himself directed the covert cyberattacks against our electoral system, against our democracy, apparently because he has a personal beef against me.

"He is determined not only to score a point against me but also undermine our democracy."

The former secretary of state attributed Mr Putin's personal vendetta against her to national protests following her 2011 accusation that Russia's parliamentary elections were fraudulent.